The Ocean
by Lost Obsesser
Summary: Kate and Sawyer have a conversation near the ocean...


Sawyer walked along the beach. He needed to clear his head, and calm himself down after the argument he had just had with one of the fellow survivors. With each step he took pieces of sand got kicked up and embedded themselves in his shoes. He ignored the gritty feeling beneath his feet and looked up at the sky. The sun was going to set in a few minutes.

The clouds lay gently on the gray sky as they moved slowly across the horizon. He looked down as he heard the soft pitter-patter of a crab running across the golden sand. He directed his eyes back up and stopped walking for a moment. Sunset on the island was one of the few things he genuinely enjoyed about being stranded.

He scanned the sky again and something caught his eye. He saw the silhouette of Kate. She was a dark shape against the stark gray sky. She sat out on a rock facing the setting sun. Sawyer stood still looking out at her, contemplating whether or not he should go talk to her. He knew better than anyone that there are times where you just want to be alone. It had been a long day for everyone.

The past night, Claire had her baby, Boone had died, and Locke was wanted for Boone's death. Today during Boone's funeral Locke stumbled into camp. His shirt was darkened with blood. Boone's blood. He vaguely remembered Jack attacking Locke and being restrained, and how Locke had left for the caves for the rest of the funeral.

Sawyer snapped back from his recent memories and decided to go see her. He walked over to the rocks she was sitting at. Once he got closer he realized that is was actually a collection of small tide pools. He walked over to her, stepping carefully on the rocks so he didn't get wet. He approached her and walked towards a rock to sit on.

"Hey." She said as she looked up at him.

Sawyer sat down, and then quickly jumped back up. He didn't expect the rocks to be so sharp and pointy. "How the hell you sitting on these?" He grumbled.

"Here." Kate scooted over to make room for him next to her. The rock she was sitting on was perfectly flat. Sawyer made his way over and sat next to her. She was looking out towards the ocean. For once in a long time Sawyer couldn't think of anything to say. He looked down at her smooth legs. Her pant-leg was folded at below the knee and her foot brushed along the floor, stirring up the sand.

"Still looking for rescue?" He asked following her gaze out toward the ocean.

"I think it's safe to say that no one's coming." Kate said.

"What're ya staring at then?" Sawyer asked.

"All the best things in my life happened in the water." Kate said. She turned to look at Sawyer who was trying to figure out what she meant. She smiled and turned back to the water. "I was vacationing in San Juan…" She began. Sawyer turned listening intently to what she was saying. "…I was staying at this little beach house, right on the shore. Well one day I took a boat out. Drove for a few hours, and stopped at this tiny island. It was more of a sandbar I guess. So anyway I got out of the boat and I just stood in the middle of this sandbar. I looked in all directions, there was no land that I could see. Well the water around was perfectly clear, and to my east, something caught my eye. I walked over to it, and turns out it was the mast of a lost ship from the 1500's, just poking out 4 feet from the sand." Kate said. She smiled, remembering that the man she married was on the research team that helped unbury it.

"That's true?" Sawyer asked., he was skeptical about her story.

"Of course it's true. If I wanted to lie I could've thought of something better than that." Kate said. Sawyer chuckled. "So what about you? Anything you want to share about your life?"

"You know more about me more than you need to." Sawyer said. He could tell she was disappointed with his answer.

"That's all I get?" Kate asked. She truly wanted to know more about him.

"You know my life Freckles." Sawyer sighed. "One nightmare after another." Kate turned her head away from the ocean to look at him. The sun was already over halfway set and the cloak of the night began to creep over the island. She studied his face, trying to read him.

"What was your name then?" Kate asked. She turned back towards the ocean, acting like she didn't care whether she got an answer or not.

Sawyer was surprised that she asked him about that. "Why do you care?" He asked, trying not to sound too harsh.

"I'm just curious. I told you something about me, thought you could do the same." Kate shook her head. "You don't have to if it-"

"James. My name was James." Sawyer said putting emphasis on the word 'was.'

"You don't look like a James to me." Kate said, trying to lighten up the subject.

Sawyer chuckled. "Oh really. And what do I look like?"

Kate turned and looked at him. "You look like… a Herman." Kate laughed. Sawyer pushed her playfully and laughed with her.

"Herman! Well you look like an Agnes then." Sawyer said. Both laughed, and spent the rest of the night together, taking walks, and talking about their pasts. 


End file.
